Ekhoff



(No Model.)

H. W. BRINGKERHOPF & H. 0. FARQUHARSON.

ELECTRIC GAS LIGHTING APPARATUS.

Patented Jan. 21, 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY W. BRINCKERHOFF, OE BROOKLYN, AND HENRY C. FARQUHARSON, OF NEWV YORK, .ASSIGNORS TO SAID FARQUHARSON AND DENISE FRANK ROOT, OF NEXV YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRIC GAS-LlGHTlNG APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 553,330, dated January 21, 1896.

Application filed April 8, 1895. Serial No. 544,894. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern: thermostat acts upon the shield to move the Be it known that we, HENRY W. BRINCK- same and protect the spark-points from in- ERHOFF, residing at Brooklyn, in the county jury.

of Kings, and HENRY C. FARQUHARSON, re- Vhile the present improvement is espc' siding at the city of New York, State of New cially adapted to use with Pintsch gas-burn- 5 5 York, citizens of the United States, have iners it may be made use of in any gas-burnvented an Improvementin Electric Gas-'Lighting apparatus wherein the products of coming Apparatus, of which the following is a bustion can act upona thermostat above the specification. flame.

1o Gas-lamps are extensivelyemployed in rail- I11 the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical secway-cars, the burners being at the lower end tion illustrating the present improvement in of a gas-pipe and below an annular reflector connection with a Pintsch gas-burner. Fig. and a central reflector, the heat from the gas- MS a sectional plan view of the mica cone or flames passing through the annular space bechimney, showing also the spark-points and I 5 tween the two reflectors, and a half glass Fig. 3 shows a modification of the device. globe connected with a frame has been em- The gas-burners A are to be of any desired ployed below such light, and above the annucharacter and they are represented as at the lar reflector a cone of mica has usually been lower end of a gas-pipe 13. used. In gas-burners of this character and 0 represents the annular reflector, and D 20 in gas-burners sometimes termed regenerathe central reflector through which the gastive gas-burners diificulty is experienced in pipe B passes. lighting the gas because the half glass globe E is a hemispherical glass globe received has to be swung downward out of the way, at its edges into a ring that is connected to the gas turned on and then ignited, and the the upper part of the lamp, and G shows the 2 5 globe is liable to injury and sometimes there mica cone or chimney resting at its base upon 7 is considerable escape of gas before the same the top of the annular reflector O.

can be lighted. The mica cone or chimney G is employed The object of the present invention is to by us for holding the electrical device for igignite the gas by an electric spark. niting the gas by a spark, and with this ob- 30 In devices heretofore employed for igniting ject in view the conductors 2 and 3 pass gas by an electric spark, the'spark-points are through the holder H which is of non-conoften exposed to the action of the heat and ducting refractory material, preferably simibecome oxidized, and where the flame is belar to that made use of in the lava tips of gas low an annular chimney difficulty is experiburners, but it may be asbestos, soapstone or 3 5 enced in locating the spark-points, because similar mineral substance, and it is advanwhen placed above the flame they are extageous to pass the metal conductors 2 and 3 posed to a high temperature and are liable to through holes in the holder H and to bring become corroded or coated with carbonaceous their ends sufficiently near each other for the or other deposits from the flame. We make spark to pass from one to the other, when an 40 use of conductors located above the flame, so electric circuit is closed to such conductors, 0 that the gas will surround the spark-points and we find it advantageous to employ clamp and be ignited when the current of electricing-screws 4 passing into the holder and actity is directed through the conductors, and ing against the conductors, and it is also ad in order to protect the spark-points from invantageous to slot the back end of the holder 45 jury by the heat or from becoming corroded crosswise so that the conductors 2 and 3 can or coated we make use of a shield acted upon be bent outwardly and away from each other, by a thermostat, so that when the lamp is not but within the transverse slot, so that the conin use the contraction of the thermostat draws ductors will be held from rotating, and thus the shield away and exposes the spark be maintained in their proper relative posi- 50 points, and as soon as the flame is ignited the tions. IOO

In Fig. 3 the holder H is represented as supported by a ring or thimble in the mica of the cone or chimney G. In Fig. 1 the holder is represented as supported by a spring K which is connected at one end with the mica chimney so that the sparlnpoints can be either within the chimney or they can be pressed backward and outward so that the sparkpoints are closely adjacent to or outside of the mica chimney, the spring K yielding when the parts are so pressed backwardly.

The conductors 2 and 3 are to be led to any suitable source of electric energy and the circuit is to be closed to suchconductors in any desired manner. In electric-lighting apparatus the current has heretofore been directed to the spark-points in the act of turning on the gas cock or valve. Any suitable device may be employed, but we have represented at L a switch as a means for closing the electric circuit to the conductors 2 and 3 for obtaining a spark between the ends of the said conductors.

If the devices heretofore described were alone made use of, the spark-points would be exposed to injury either from the heat or from the carbon escaping from the flame. To protect such spark-points we make use of a shield N acted upon by a thermostat M so that when the heat reaches such thermostat the expansion of the same moves the shield N to protect the spark-points, and when the lamp is extinguished and cools down the contraction of the thermostat draws the shield away from the spark-points so that the gas reaches such spark-points and is ignited when the current is closed through such spark-points, and then the heat of the flame acting upon the thermostat moves the shield to protect the spark-points.

The thermostat M may be made in any desired manner. We have, however, represented the same as, formed of alternate bars 5 and 6 of iron and copper, and these are con nected together in such a manner as to obtain the desired extent of movement from the differences in the expansion of the two metals, and the thermostat is supported by a cross-bar 7, to which one end of such thermostat is rigidly connected, and the other end of the thermostat is connected to a crank-arm 8 adjacent to the pivot 9, upon which. the arm of the shield N swings, and by properly proportiom ing the parts the movement necessary can be given by the thermostat to the shield for swinging such shield against the holder H when the lamp is lighted, or for withdrawing the shield from the holder and spark p0i11ts when the lamp is extinguished.

In cases where the shield N is made use of with a holder H supported by a spring K, the shield is advantageously convex, so that, it will act directly against the end of the holder and push the same backward against the ac-. tion of the spring K until the shield closes the opening in the mica chimney, through which the holder and spark-points had been projected and thereby the holder and sparks points will be outside of the mica chimney and protected from injury from the heat or from deposits, and as the parts cool after the light is extinguished the contraction of the thermostat draws back the shield and allows the holder to be projected by its spring ready for use in again lighting the gas. WVhen the shield is made use of with a stationary holder containing the spark-points it is advantageous to make the shield in the manner represented at N, Fig. 3that is to say, with a bottom flange or in the form of a thimble or section of a thimble to cover over the inner end of the holder and protect the same and the spark-points from any deposit or carbonaceous corrosionand it will be observed that the top part of the holder II is represented as projecting beyond the spark-points, the object being to prevent the shield coming into contact with the sparkpoints to injure the same or to close the electric circuit between the same, and the holder being of non-conducting and refractory m ate rial the wire conductors 2 and 3 are insulated thereby, and the holder is not injured by the temperature to which it is exposed.

It will be observed that the lighting mechanism being all connected with the mica chimney it only becomes necessary to disconnect the parts of the lamp sufficiently for introducing the mica chimney in position together with the thermostat and electric gas-lighter, and the conductors from the lighter can be passed out through any convenient portion of the upper part of the lamp, and they can be led to any suitable battery or source of electric energy, and the push-button or switch can be located in a convenient place for use in directing the current for producing the spark after the gas has been t ned on to the burn r- YYe find it generally advantageous to have a push-button or similar electric device that is separate from the cock for turning on the gas, so that the spark can be repeated if the gas is not lighted when the current is first turned on throughthe conductors.

In Fig. 1 we have illustrated a battery at I, but the same may be any desired source of electric energy, and the switch L may be operated by hand or in any desired manner in turning t e c rrent on. o off Sometimes. an attendant may leave the switch turned o so that t e battery ill be exhausted unnecessarily. To avoid this we represent a circuit-closer at 12 upon the holder H, which circuitscloser lZaets in contact with the plate 13 when the parts are cold and the holder II is projected by the spring K, and when this holder is pushed back by the action of the. he mostat he plate 12 separates from the plate 13 and the electric circuit is broken at this place automatically.

We claim as our invention 1- The combination wit a gas burne an its chimney, of spark points and conductors for directing a current of electricity in lighting the gas, and a shield and a thermostatic device for acting upon the shield to move the same and protect the spark pointswhen the gas is burning, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with the gas burner and a mica chimney or cone, of a'thermostat received upon and supported by such mica cone, a holder of refractory and insulating material,-and conductors passing through and supported by the holder for forming the spark points, a shield pivoted upon the mica chimney and acted upon by the thermostat for covering the spark points when the gas is burning, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with a burner and its chimney, of a thermostat, a shield acted upon by the thermostat, a holder and electric spark points for igniting the gas of the burner and a spring for supporting the holder and yielding to the pressure of the shield against the holder When the thermostat is heated by the flame, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination With a gas burner, its

hemispherical glass and the reflectors above the gas burner, of a mica cone supported by, the reflector, a thermostat connected to and supported by the mica cone, a holder and conductors passing through the holder and terminating as spark points, a shield having an arm pivoted upon the mica chimney and a connection between the arm and the thermostat for moving the shield to cover and uncover the spark points,'substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with the burner, of spark points and electric connections for igniting the inflammable material of the burner and a thermostat and devices moved thereby for protecting the spark points from the flame, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination with a burner and spark points and electric connections for igniting the gas, of a thermostat for acting upon the spark points and for automatically breaking the electric circuit substantially as set forth.

Signed by us this 3d day of April, 1895.

H. W. BRINCKERHOFF. HENRY O. FARQUHARSON.

Witnesses GEO. T. PINCKNEY, S. '1. HAVILAND. 

